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Catherine The Great
Catherine the Great is a 1995 german Television Movie based on the life of Empress Catherine II of Russia. It stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Brian Blessed and Pual McGann. Besides aired on television, the film was released on Region 1 DVD on February 27, 2001 by A&E Home Video. *'Directed by:' Marvin J. Chomsky, John Goldsmith *'Produced by:' Sean Connery, Michael Hertzberg, Rhonda Tollefson *'Written by: '''Ronald Bass, William Broyles, Jr. *'Story by:' Ronald Bass, Michael Hertzberg *'Starring:' Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bill Patton, Ving Rhames *'Music by:' Christipher Young *'Cinematography:' Phil Meheux *'Edited by:' Terry Rawlings *'Country:' U.S.A., U.K., Germany *'Language:' English *'Running time:' 113 minutes *'Budget:' $66 million *'Box Office:' $212 million *'Release date:' April 30, 1999 *'Distributed by:' 20th Century Fox Plot Virginia "Gin" Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is an investigator for "Waverly Insurance". Robert "Mac" MacDougal (Sean Connery) is a professional thief who specializes in international art. A priceless Rembrandt painting is stolen from an office one night. Gin is sent undercover to investigate Mac as the chief suspect. She tries to entrap him with a proposition, claiming that she is a professional thief herself. She promises that she will help him steal a priceless Chinese mask from the well-guarded Bedford Palace. Before agreeing, Mac tells Gin Rule Number One: "Never carry a gun: You carry a gun, you may be tempted to use it." They travel to Scotland and plan the complicated theft at Mac's hideout, an isolated Castle. Aaron Thibadeaux (Ving Rhames), apparently the only ally that Mac has and trusts, arrives with supplies for the heist. Virginia13.png|Gin practices the theft Virginia7.png|Gin practives the theft While Mac is busy making final preparations, Gin contacts her boss, Hector Cruz (Will Patton), from a payphone, and informs him of Mac's whereabouts. Little does she know that the island is bugged, allowing Mac to eavesdrop on their conversation. Mac also makes sure to keep Gin's romantic advances at bay, unsure if she is a true partner in crime or an ambitious career woman on a mission. After they have stolen the mask, Mac accuses Gin of planning to sell the mask to a buyer in Kuala Lumpur and then turn him in. Gin convinces him that her insurance agency job is the real cover and that she has planned an even bigger heist in Kuala Lumpur: $8 billion from the "International Clearance Bank" in the North Tower of the Petronas Towers During their set-up, Cruz and his team (with the guidance of the stealthy Thibadeaux) track down Gin and confirm that she is still on mission to bring Mac in. Despite the presence of Cruz and other security watching the building, the theft takes place in the final seconds of the new 2000 millennium countdown. Gin pulls the plug on her laptop prematurely and sets off alarms. They narrowly escape the computer vault and are forced to cross the lights hung from the bottom of the bridge linking the two towers. Following a death-defying escape when the cable breaks, Gin and Mac make their way to a ventilation shaft, where Mac explains "Plan B." Using a mini-parachute they were going to escape down the shaft. Gin has lost her parachute earlier in the escape, so Mac gives her his. He tells her to meet him the next morning at the Pudu Station Gin arrives at the station waiting for Mac. He shows up late with Aaron Thibadeaux, who reveals himself with fellow FBI agents. He explains that Cruz is here and that the FBI has been looking for her for some time. Two years ago when Agent Thibadeaux caught and arrested him, Mac made a deal to help the FBI arrest Gin, as she was the primary target all along. However, the aging thief has another plan: to help her escape. Mac slips Gin a gun and quietly explains that he returned only seven of the eight billion dollars they had stolen electronically in the heist. Gin then pretends to hold Mac hostage at gunpoint, threatening to shoot him if the agents follow her. She boards a train and the FBI heads to the next station. Gin jumps trains mid-station and arrives back at Pudu. She tells Mac that she needs him for another job and they both board a train. The two stage a spectacular performance that earns them the love of the audience and the press. The film concludes with Roxie and Velma receiving a standing ovation from an enthusiastic audience, and, as flashbulbs pop, proclaiming that "We couldn't have done it without you". Cast '- Catherine Zeta-Jones''' - Virginia Baker '- Sean Connery '- Robert MacDougal '- Will Patton' - Hector Cruz '- Ving Rhames' - Aaron Thibadeaux '- Maury Chaykin' - Conrad Greene '- Kevin McNally' - Haas '- Terry O'Neill' - Quinn Music 1. Entrapment 2. Saints And Sinners 3. Fayeth In Fate 4. Bright Moments 5. The Dancing Jars 6. Blackmail 7. Who's Who? 8. Heist Society 9. A Certain Uncertainty 10. La Fleur De La Musique |11. Kuala Lumpur 12. Impossible, But Doable |13. Thieveing 14. Wondering Aloud 15. Silent Partner 16. The Empress Mask 17. Millennium Countdown 18. Alive Again 19. Try, Then Trust 20. Thank God Filming locations Filming locations for the film include Blenheim Palace, Savoy Hotel London, Llyd's of London, Borough Market, London, Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull in Scotland, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur (with other filming completed at Pinewood Studios), and the Bukit Jalil LRT station. Critical reception The film opened to mixed or average reviews as described by Metacritic. Rotten Tomatoes lists the film as receiving 38% positive reviews. Critics focused on a scene where Zeta-Jones trains for the heist by worming around a net of red threads that simulate laser beams. The camera lingers on her buttocks through much of the scene. Another similar scene takes place when she is actually crawling through the real laser beam field to steal the mask, including some close-ups of her derrière. The laser scene was choreographed by Paul Harris, who also choreographed the wand-to-wand combat sequences in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The film was a box office success, grossing over $87 million in the US and $212 million worldwide. Entrapment was nominated for two Razzie Awards including Worst Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Worst Screen Couple (Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery). The film was screened out of competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. As of 2013, IMDb rates the film at 6.2 out of 10.